Tipaza

Tipaza is the Mediterranean's romance done in ruins: a Phoenician-then-Roman port whose forum, basilicas, theatre and villas now scatter through pine and wild olive on low cliffs directly over the sea, waves breaking against ancient harbour stones and the great cone of Mount Chenoua closing the bay to the west. Albert Camus made the site his personal scripture - a stele near the entrance carries his line about glory and love - and the habit of wandering column to column with the smell of resin and salt remains exactly the pleasure he described. The Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania, a mysterious stone drum on the ridge inland, completes the classic outing.

What you actually see

• The seafront basilicas - church ruins on the cliff over the coves.
• The forum and theatre - the Roman town under the pines.
• Mount Chenoua - the bay's great western pyramid.
• The Royal Mausoleum - the enigmatic Mauretanian tomb-drum nearby.

When to go

April to June and September to October give warm, pine-scented wandering; summer weekends bring Algiers day-trippers in force - go on weekday mornings. Sunset from the western ruins is the site's signature.

Honest expectations

Conservation is loose by northern-European standards - paths wander, labels are scarce and the romance is partly the informality; a guide adds the missing layers. Swimming below the ruins is popular but unmanaged. The seafood restaurants by the gate are half the local tradition - budget for lunch.

Nearby

The Chenoua coast, Cherchell's museum town and Algiers.